Headlight



E. E. HILLYER.

HEADLIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED mm2, 1920.

1,386,059 Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

lllllllllll i; @13. M7 dan lfm/ UNITED STATES ERNEST E. HILLYER, 0F PORT RICHMOND, NEW YORK.

PATENT OFFICE.

HEADLIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Auw. 2, 1921.

'i To all w from t may concern .f

Be it known that I, ERNEST E. HILLYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Port Richmond, county of Richmond, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Headlights, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

.This invention relates to improvements in head lights for motor vehicles. The obj ect of my invention is to provide a head light device which is adjustable in order. that Vthe rays of light emanating therefrom can beY .directed upon aroad wherever. desirable and maintained in such adjusted position. Owing to the diversity of existing laws governing` headlights, it is almost impossible to meet the requirements of different States by means of a fixed or unchangeable anti-glaring device. In some States more light upon Vthe road, at each side of the front end of a motor vehicle, is `required than in other States,

also the distance ahead of the vehicle at.

translucent or shrouded, preferably the up-l per portion. Byl adjusting the reflector the light rays can be altered with respect to the line of cut od of the transparent portion of the lens; .hence Vthe distance at which the `light vwill strike the road fahead of the vehicle can be changed 'sat will.; .The amount of light cast onthe road at the side of the l vehicle, and ahead of same, can be altered by adjusting the reflector in avertical plane.

In the drawing, which forms part `of this specification Figure l isa sectional .-view of light embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is a front' view thereof; Fig. 3 is a rear view thereof; l

Fig. 4 is an enlarged `fragmentary sec'- tional plan view, the section being taken on line 4--4 in Fig. 1;"and j Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertilcal sectional view, the sectionl being taken on line 5--5 in Fig. l. j n

As' before stated, the chief object of my invention is to provide a head light lthat may be" adjusted to meet the laws of V.different States as well as to .provide an anti-glaring aV head device of this nature by vblankng off the upper portion of the lens. The partly translucentlens forms an important part of my invention as by its employment, in combination with an adjustable reflector, I am able '-60 .to obtain the adjustments desired. As here# inembodied, my invention consists of `a cas-V ing 6 containing an adjustable reflector 7, which carries a lamp bulb 8, anda lens`9 aYV part 10 of which is shroudedor rendered translucentV by frostingV or coloring same.. The upper portion ofy the lens may be col.Y Ored green, amber or any other Vdesired color. The reflector 7 is freely suspended within the casing 6, that is to'say, not secured to saineV but is connected to the casing by adjustable elements. The reflector, by means of the adjiistable'elements,may be raised vor lowered vertically, -moved'to vany desired angular po'- sition, within a certain limit, that is to say, tilted forward or backward, or rotatably. adjusted horizontally. l/Vhen the reflector is raised or lowered, theV rays of` light cast off adjacentthe aXis'of the reflector, said rays being indicated by the arrow 13 in Fig. 1, will be laltered with respect to line of cut off ofthe transparent portion 12 of the lens, said. line of cut olf being indicated by 13a. By meansV ofthe vertical adL justment ofthe reflector, the light bulb 8 can be so positioned as'to" reduce glare Vto a# minimum, for it willl be'v remembered lthat glaring raysV will not pass, through the shrouded portion 10 ofthe lens. Y Should thek vertical adjustment imparted to the reflector be such as to reduce'gla're to a minimum, but destroy the desired road illumination,l the reflector can be tilted forward yor backwardto-castthe rays upward or downwardly with respect to the lineof cutoff 13a. Infact both vertical adjustment and tilting will be re sorted to tofobtain the desired results. `To alter the light with respectV to-th'e sides of the road, the reflector? will be rotated horizontally. All of the adjustments'above re-l ferred to willv be accomplished'by manipuation of certain 'elements lloca-ted, eXteriorly of the casing 6; To obtain the adjustments `heldl in position by a-plate 16. 1 The rod 14 passes loosely through a block 17 andv is `threaded for a portion of its length as at18. 1110 The threaded portion of the'rod is engaged by a thimble 19 having a threaded bore, as is evident, the exterior of the thimble being also threaded to receive a lock-nut 20. The thimble 19 carries a head 21 having a convex surface 22 to engage the casing adjacent a slot 23 in said casing. To adjust the reflector vertically, the lock-nut 2O will be loosened and the thimble rotated to raise or lower the reflector. After the reflector is adjusted the lock-nut 20 will be fastened. To tilt the reflector, I provide a threaded pin 23a, which, at its inner end, engages the block 17, the connection being of the ball and socket variety, indicated by 24. The pin 232L is engaged by a threaded thumb-nut 25 rotatably supported bythe casing 6, a lock nut 26 being employed to firmly fasten the thumb-nut 25. To tilt the reflector, the lock-nut 20 will be loosened and thumbenut 25 manipulated to move the lower end of reflector 6 in or out, as indicated by arrows 27 and 28. The slot 23 permits of the shifting of the rod 14 forwardly or backwardly and the convex surface of the head 22 permits of a firm securement of the thimble 19 to the casing. To tilt the reflector a pivotal point is essential. In this instance the pivotal point is located at 29, said point being the point of connection of a link 30 to said reflector, the connection being loose or having a little play. The other end of link 3() is pivotally connected, in this instance, to a crank-arm 31 extending from a stub-shaft 32 (see Fig. 5), rotatably supported by casing 6. The stub-shaft 32 carries a thumbnut 33 and a lock nut 34.` When stub shaft 32 is rotated, either forward or backward, the reflector 7 will be rotated upon rod 14 at the point 15. To cast the rays more to the center of a road or more t0 the side of a road, the stub-shaft 32 will be rotated accordingly and fastened by the lock-nut 34 after the desired adjustment has been made. Any one of the adjustments lmentioned can be obtained independently or in other words obtained vwithout necessarily disturbing each other. In other words, after a desired vertical adjustment has been made, the reflector can be tilted or rotated without destroying the vertical adjustment or vice versa. To focus the bulb, I provide the casing withA a hand hole 35 in the rear thereof and provide a cap 36 for said hand hole. As the bulb is carried by the reflector and as the reflectoris movable, it is necessary to provide some means by which the bulb can be focused. In

this instance, I provide the said hand holeY 35 through which a hand canbe passed to manipulate the bulb to focus same. A binding screw 37 may be employed tosecure the bulb afterit has been focused. A person knowing the laws regarding head light of a State he is about to enter or resides in, can adjust the reflector to cast rays of light to meet said laws after which the adjustment can be maintained by the different locking elements.

My invention also possesses the advantage of enabling a person to properly adjust his lights, as it frequently occurs that head lamps or casings are placed out of position by the manufacturer and one lamp will point upwardly or downwardly more than the other or inwardly or outwardly more than the other. By means of my adjustable features the position of the casing is entirely immaterial and I can adjust the reflectors to meet any requirement within reason.V When making most of the adjustments, it will be understood that most of the locking nuts will be loosened to permit the parts locked thereby to move to accommodate the adjustment desired. To adjust the reflector vertically, it will not be necessary to loosen the lock nut 26 as rod 14 will slide within block 17 and there will be enough to slack at the pivotal point 29 to permit the reiiector to move. All adjustments will be but slight.

I-Iaving described my invention, what I .claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:-

1. In a head light, a casing, a vertically disposed vertically adjustable movable sup-V port carried by the casing, a reflector rota tably mounted upon said support, adjustable means carried by the casing to rotate said reflector and adjustable means to actuate the vertically adjustable support longitudinally of the casing to tilt the reflector.

2. In a head light, a casing, a reflector within the casing, a vertically disposed threaded rod carried by the casing, said rod being pivotally connected to said reflector, 105 said casing being provided with an elongated slot for the passage therethrough of said rod, thumb nuts carried by the rod located on opposite sides of the slotted portion of the casing, means Vto rotate said re- 110 flector upon said rod, a block slidably engaging said vertically disposed rod, a second horizontally disposed rod pivotally con- -nected at one end thereof to said block, and

means to actuate said horizontally disposed rod to move the vertical rod longitudinally ofthe elongated slot in the casing.

3. In a head light, a casing, a reflector within the casing, a vertically disposed threaded rod carried by the casing, said rod being pivotally lconnected to said reflector, said casing being provided with an elongated slot for the passage therethrough of said rod, thumb nuts carried by the rod located on opposite sides of the slotted portion of the casing, means to rotate said reflector upon said rod, a blockv slidably engaging saidvertically disposed rod,aa second horizontallyv disposed rod pivotally connected at one end thereof to said block, means to actuate said horizontally disposed rod to move the vertical rod longitudinally of the elongated slot in the casing, and means to rotate said reflector upon said vertical rod.

4L. In ahead light, a casing, a reflector Within the casing, said casing being provided With an elongated slot, a vertically disposed rod Within the casing, said rod at one end being pivotally connected to said reflector at one end,v the opposite end of said rod passing through the elongated slot and arranged Jfor movement longitudinally thereof, fastening means associated With the rod to engage'said casing, and means to rotate said reflector u on said rod.

Signed at New Ork city, N. Y., this 29 day of'A Dec. 1919.

ERNEST E. HILLYER.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. FRANKLIN, E. H. MooDY. 

